Smoke Monday evening in the Puget Sound area, including Kent, is from wildfires in Canada and east of the Cascade Mountains.
“Smoke is moving south into the state from Canada plus some of the smoke from fires east of the Cascades has filtered over the mountains into the Puget Sound area,” according to wasmoke.blogspot.com. “There are other fires in the state contributing to the mix, including the large Grass Valley fire near Grand Coulee Dam.”
According to a special weather statement Monday from the National Weather Service (NWS), upper level high pressure and offshore surface flow will allow for smoke aloft from wildfires around the region to mix down into the lower atmosphere. Air quality sensors in many locations around Western Washington are indicating moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups.
“These conditions are expected to either persist or degrade further,” according to the NWS. “Conditions are expected to improve late Tuesday night and Wednesday as surface flow shifts onshore. Children, the elderly and individuals with respiratory illnesses are most at risk of serious health effects. These groups should limit or avoid spending time outdoors.”
For more air quality information, visit the following websites:
Washington State Department of Ecology: ecy.wa.gov
Puget Sound Clean Air Agency: pscleanair.org
Southwest Clean Air Agency: swcleanair.org
Olympic Region Clean Air: orcaa.org
Northwest Clean Air Agency: nwcleanairwa.gov
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